Is Detroit, MI tap water safe?
Supplied by City of Detroit · serves 633,218 people (237,000 connections) · Purchased surface water · EPA ID MI0001800
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Most of Detroit gets its water from City of Detroit. Parts of the city are served by a smaller system: Great Lakes Water Authority (Wholesale supplier (sells water to other systems)). Your water bill names your system.
Buys water from Great Lakes Water Authority. Treated water bought from another system can carry that system's contaminants.
Summary
No federal limits exceeded in EPA data.
- PFAS
- Not detectedNone of 29 PFAS found above EPA's reporting limits in 16 samples (2023–2025).
- Lead
- Below action level7.5 ppb (parts per billion) at the 90th percentile: 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below it. Action level 15 ppb, falling to 10 ppb in Nov 2027. Monitoring period ending Dec 2025. Your home's pipes can make yours higher.
- Violations
- None health-basedNo health-based violations since 2016.
- Built before 1986, or not sure what your service line is made of? Check your service line and test your tap. Utility data can't show your pipes.
- Tested your own tap? Compare your result with these numbers. Moving? Compare this system with another.
- Read City of Detroit's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report). It lists every regulated contaminant tested and is usually on the utility's website or mailed with your bill, and you can also request it at (313) 267-1239. EPA: how to find it.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 4 entry points tested Feb 2023 to Nov 2023. "Average" is the highest entry-point average (non-detects counted as zero), the way EPA compares UCMR 5 results to the limits. ppt = parts per trillion. These results do not determine compliance.
| Contaminant | Highest average |
|---|---|
| PFOA Not detected Limit 4 ppt | – |
| PFOS Not detected Limit 4 ppt | – |
| PFHxS Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| PFNA Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| HFPO-DA (GenX) Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| Hazard Index (a combined score for PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and PFBS, where above 1 is over the limit) Not detected Limit 1 | – |
| PFBS Not detected Guideline 2,000 ppt | – |
| PFBA Not detected Guideline 6,000 ppt | – |
| PFHxA Not detected Guideline 3,000 ppt | – |
Michigan has its own PFAS limits. PFNA 6 ppt (this system's highest average: not detected), PFOA 8 ppt (this system's highest average: not detected), PFHxA 400000 ppt (this system's highest average: not detected), PFOS 16 ppt (this system's highest average: not detected), PFHxS 51 ppt (this system's highest average: not detected), PFBS 420 ppt (this system's highest average: not detected), HFPO-DA 370 ppt (this system's highest average: not detected). State compliance is judged on the state's own sampling, so ask the utility or the state program whether it meets them.
29 PFAS tested, 0 detected at least once. "Not detected" means below EPA's reporting limit (about 2 to 20 ppt depending on the chemical), not proven zero. PFAS not listed were not detected. The limits for PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and the Hazard Index were proposed for rescission in May 2026. That proposal is not final. Systems have until 2029 to meet the limits.
Lithium
Not detected in 16 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 7.5 ppb lead (Jan 2025 – Dec 2025). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 12.7 ppb (Dec 2024).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2025 – Dec 2025 | 7.5 ppb |
| Jan 2024 – Dec 2024 | 12.7 ppb |
| Jan 2023 – Dec 2023 | 9.4 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2022 – Dec 2022 | 12.3 ppb |
| Jan 2021 – Dec 2021 | 12.3 ppb |
| Jan 2020 – Dec 2020 | 8.7 ppb |
| Jan 2019 – Dec 2019 | 9.81 ppb |
| Jan 2015 – Dec 2017 | 4.4 ppb |
| Jan 2012 – Dec 2014 | 2.3 ppb |
| Jan 2009 – Dec 2011 | 3.4 ppb |
| Jan 2006 – Dec 2008 | 4 ppb |
| Jan 2003 – Dec 2005 | 7 ppb |
Lead service lines: City of Detroit's inventory lists 17,095 lead, 1,777 galvanized lines that need replacing, 203,732 of unknown material out of 253,942 service lines (as of 2026-11-14). Counted by us from the utility's or state's published line-by-line inventory data.
Look up your address · Source (the utility, collected by us on Nov 14, 2026, not EPA data) · Checking your own line
Lead comes from pipes and fixtures, not the source water, so it varies home to home. The 90th percentile means 9 in 10 sampled homes were at or below it. More on lead.
Violations
Health-based violations mean a contaminant exceeded a limit or a required treatment step was missed. Monitoring and reporting violations mean required tests or reports were late or missing, so the water's quality during that time is unknown. The total includes every violation in EPA's records, most of them paperwork.
Earlier EPA testing (2013–2020)
| Contaminant | Highest | Guideline |
|---|---|---|
| Manganese | 0.67 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Strontium | 0.13 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Vanadium | 0.66 ppb | 21 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 0.24 ppb | – |
Where it serves
Detroit
39 ZIP codes the system reported serving
48201, 48202, 48203, 48204, 48205, 48206, 48207, 48208, 48209, 48210, 48211, 48212, 48213, 48214, 48215, 48216, 48217, 48218, 48219, 48220, 48221, 48223, 48224, 48225, 48226, 48227, 48228, 48229, 48230, 48233, 48234, 48235, 48236, 48237, 48238, 48239, 48240, 48242, 48243
Nearby utilities
- Dearborn Water System Dearborn · 7 mi
- City of Warren Warren · 9 mi
- City of Royal Oak Royal Oak · 9 mi
- Dearborn Heights Water System Dearborn Heights · 10 mi
- Southfield Water System Southfield · 10 mi
- City of St. Clair Shores St. Clair Shores · 13 mi
Questions
Is Detroit tap water safe to drink?
Most of Detroit gets its water from City of Detroit. City of Detroit has no health-based violations since 2016. EPA testing found no PFAS above the federal limits. Federal data can't tell you about your own pipes: lead comes from service lines and plumbing, so test your tap if your home was built before 1986. For the official word, read the utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report.
Does Detroit water have PFAS?
EPA tested City of Detroit for 29 PFAS between Feb 2023 and Nov 2023 and none were detected above the reporting limits (about 2 to 20 ppt depending on the chemical).
What is the lead level in Detroit water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for City of Detroit is 7.5 ppb, for the period ending Dec 2025. The federal action level is 15 ppb, falling to 10 ppb in November 2027. The 90th percentile means 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below this number. Individual homes can be higher.
Check these numbers yourself
Every figure on this page comes from public EPA records. You don't have to take our word for it:
- EPA's own report for MI0001800: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID MI0001800).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- The utility's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report): ask City of Detroit at (313) 267-1239, or see EPA's guide to finding it.
Found something that doesn't match? Tell us and we'll check it against EPA's records. How we check our data.
Source: U.S. EPA drinking water records and PFAS testing (UCMR 5). How we read the data.